UAAP

Danine Cruz on Nov 13, 2018 12:50 PM

Rookie Melody Cac produced the most points for NU with 17 markers and two boards in 13 minutes of play for the Lady Bulldogs.

Another day, another blowout win for National University.

The Lady Bulldogs scorched the nets for their 77th straight win as they crushed hapless University of the Philippines in a 97-41 rout in the UAAP Season 81 Tuesday morning at the Blue Eagle Gym.

Rookie Melody Cac produced the most points for NU with 17 markers and two boards in 13 minutes of play. The forward from Chiang Kai-Shek College was highly efficient with an 8-of-10 shooting clip. Prior to this game, she was just averaging 1.9 points.

The Lady Bulldogs fielded a first five composed of very young players against much older Lady Maroons. NU trailed by three points in the first quarter.

But come the second frame, with their veterans on the court, NU found their groove defensively. They only allowed seven points from UP. Animam and Rhena Itesi took advantage offensively and invested a 20 point lead to end the first half, 45-25.

By the second half, it was NU show all the way. After the veterans established the lead, it was the younger players who took care of it and made it impossible for the Lady Maroons to inch any closer. Everyone from the 15-woman team all played and scored.

This just displayed that NU's greatness is not solely anchored on specific individuals but on its program itself.

"Good game. Again, I've used the bench para to make them more ready in the coming games," Aquino shared, "You have to play your hearts out even though alam niyo na mananalo kayo or it's gonna be an easy game but I just hope na we continue doing what we're doing."

Lady Maroon Lou Ordoveza produced 11 points and four rebounds in a losing effort. They remain winless after 13 games in Season 81. Overall, their losing streak counts to 29 games. They will seek to end that long drought as they play their last game of the season on November 16 against the University of the East.

As for NU, this 77th-straight win against UP also marked that they have a double digit winning streak against all UAAP schools. They remain perfect after 13 outings this season and at the verge of a sixth straight eliminations sweep in the league. They will try to cement that on November 16 also against the tough Clare Castro-led Far Eastern University.

Only Far Eastern University stands NU's way of completing a fifth straight elimination round sweep, as the Lady Bulldogs go for it at 1 p.m. on Friday at the Filoil Flying V Centre.

De La Salle University and Adamson University made the race for the remaining two semifinals berths more exciting after trouncing separate foes.

Jamie Alcoy had 18 points while Nathalie Prado contributed 16 points, 21 rebounds and four assists as the Lady Falcons rallied from 11 points down in regulation and beat the FEU Lady Tamaraws in overtime, 73-69.

But University of Santo Tomas failed to forge at three-way tie at 8-5 as an out-of-it-all University of the East gave España lady dribblers a huge blow on its Final Four aspirations with a narrow 66-64 victory.

Joyce Francisco hit a key triple - her 17th point of the game - in the dwindling seconds as the Lady Warriors, last year's second placers, booked their only third win in 13 contests.

UST, which fell to 7-6, is now facing a must-win game at against DLSU 3 p.m. on Friday to keep its semifinals hopes alive. On the same day, Adamson University has a light schedule in Ateneo at 1 p.m.